Water-soluble cutting compound and method of manufacture



Patentecl Aug. 15, 1944 WATER-SOLUBLE CUTTING COMPOUND AND V METHOD OF MANUFACTURE a s.

John D. Morgan, South: Orange, and Russell'E. Lowe, East Orange, N.. J., assignors to Cities Service Oil Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Pennsylvania a No Drawing. Application April 22, 1941, I Serial No. 389.760

12 Claims. 101.252. 143) This invention relates to improvements in metmetal cutting tools and tacilitate their cutting action; and to improved process for making such compounds.

The invention relates more particularly to a water soluble cutting compound and method of manufacture from inexpensive base material.

Many types of cutting compounds are manufactured and used, but for the most part such compounds are either oils used directly orfoils a1 cutting compounds or fluids adapted to cool which are emulsified in water and do not'give a clear solution. Furthermore, many of the presently used compounds are made from animal and vegetable oils which are relatively expensive;

whereasaccording to the present invention, the base material is a relatively inexpensiv crude petroleum oil. t a

The primary object of'the present invention is to provide an improved cutting compound or agent which is'soluble in water a relatively clear solution. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved process for manufacturing a water soluble cutting compound from crude petroleum oils.

A further objectof the inventionis to provide a relatively transparent cutting compound which will permit observation of the cutting tool and the metal being cut.

and which gives Example A batch of Duvall crude oil having an A. P. I.

gravity oi about 21 and comprising 2'75 00., was

- heated to a temperatureof from 300 to 350 F.

and introduced i'ntoa vertical retort substantiallyefilled with loose graphite chips.- The retort was wmaintained in thistemperature range, andasmall streamof chlorine gas was introduced intothe bottomof the retort and bubbled through the oil therein'atarate .of about one gram per minute. After the. flow of chlorine had been startedthrough the retort, the upper end thereof being vented, 5 cc. of P013 was slowly introduced into the bottom of the retort andflushed in with an additional 50cc. of the Duvall crude oil. These steps required eightor ten minutes, after'which the-introduction of the chlorine was continued for a. period of thirty minutes, while the temperaturein the retort was held within the range of.300 to 350 F.

The-intermediate reaction product formed by thewabove procedure was withdrawn from the retort through a drawoffvalve at the bottom and In general, theimproved process of the present inventionco'mprises the substantial conversion of a crude petroleum oil into an intermediate reactionproduct by reacting the'crude oil at moderatetemperature with an active. inorganic halide and chlorine in the presence of a catalyst. The intermediate reaction product is thereupon subjected to a sulfonation operation to produce a tarry mass which is diluted with water, neutralized'to Congo red indicator and concentrated to providethe base for the metal cutting compound. This base may then be diluted with the desired proportion of water and is ready for use in any desired cutting operation, the dilution depending to some extent upon the requirements of the particular cutting job.

While the invention is subject to. considerable variation and modification in the manner of its particular" application, particularly as regards the .kind and proportions of the petroleum oil and reagents and the method of procedure, the following example will serve to illustrate the method of preparing the improved cutting compound.

"comprised approximately 323 ccQof liquid having a specific gravity of 0.93 (300 gms.). The retort .was found to be clean and free ofany sludge.

The 300 gms. of intermediate product was cooled toflroom temperature and then treated with 45 :grams of chlorosulfonic acid added slowly to avoid overheating and foaming, and the resulting mixture was permitted to react with mild stirring for a period of about two hours. The resulting materialcomprised an upper layer of black tarry viscous material, and a lower liquid oil layer which was/separated and reserved for further treatment. The tar-like material comprising 138 gmsrwas dissolved in 290 cc. of water, by warming, and was then neutralized to Congo red with 3,25% solution of sodium hydroxide, 17 ms. of-

was a brown viscous mass while the lower layer.

comprised a highly fluorescent aqueous solution. The upper layer of 123 gms: and comprising the desired product, was dissolved in water to give a specific gravity of from 1.055 to 1.065, then settled (centrifuging maybe used) to remove any water-insoluble residue. 'In thisfinstance 350 gms. or water were required to give the solution a specific gravity of 1.060. This material is a concentrate and is not intended to be used di- 2 rectly, but should be diluted to at least approximately 20 to 1 with-water. Dilutions as high as .50 to 1 'have'been successfullyusedas a'cutting compound.

The concentrate is a water solution andgives a clear or transparent solution even with rather hard water. It has 'a :water hardness tolerance inexcess of 225 parts per million. At dilutions of. 20 to 1, the cutting'compourid is inherently inhibited against the staining or corrosion, including'rusting, of iron and'steel-andin-fact'on drying in contactfwith iron or steel will form'a thin, elasticfilm which will protect iron-andsteel from corrosion by normal atmospheric it is alkaline to red litmus followed by the addition-of 1'to.2% by volume of a 'corros'ion'inhibitor such astriethanolamine. A slight tendency of the concentrate to foam 'on dilution is reduced by the addition o'f-'0.10% by volume vof an anti- "foaming agent such'as octanol. The original concentrate has .a pH of approximately 5.2. treatment with sodium hydroxide, triethanol After amine and octanol, "the pH is in excess of 7.0.

The effectiveness .of the metal cutting compound of the present invention was compared with that'of a commercial product sold widely throughout most of the United States by diluting each concentrate :with ordinary tap water to a dilutiono'f .50 to '1. The commercial= product pro- .duced a white emulsion-like composition which had the appearance of "milk and "was definitely opaque. The concentrate or base of :the present invention produced -a substantially transparent solution which however was somewhat brownish ;in color because of the hardness of the water. 'These50 to l-dilution-products were-tested under identical conditions with gradually increasing loadsin a test.;machi ne. Thecompound made fromithe commercial .productserved satisfactorily up to a pressure of approximately 500 lbs., at

which Qpdiritit becameinoperative' and the metal surfaces in the :test machine were welded. The

cutting compound produced with the product made in accordance with the present invention gave smooth and satisfactory operation throughout the entire test wherein theloadon the test machine was increased to 1000 lbs. I

The .Duvall crude oil (from Duvall County, Texas) of the type used in making the improved cutting base in accordance with the foregoing example contains substantially no low boiling constituents, has a specific gravity of -*0.927 (A. P. I.

gravity 211) contained 055% of sulfur, has a pour test of 15 F. and a Sayboltuniversal viscosity at 100F. of 238 See. .A distillation of the 'Duvall crude showed .no gasoline, naphtha or kerosenecontent, 33.9% 'gas oil havinga specific gravity of '0.870,-the remainderbeing hi h gravity constituents ranging from a specific gravity .of about "0. 90 to 0.96. Insubjecting the 'Duvall icrude'to distillation at 1753 mm. very little was influences. However, since the concentrate is 'an effective cutting aid at dilutions to 50 to 1 or more, it is preferred to reinforce its natural properties by ;first adding 5% sodium hydroxide solution until equivalent to graphite. such ior'example as activated carbon, activated charcoal, silica gel and other adsorbent catalysts such as activated clays and fullers earth. The conversion reaction carried out in the retort may also be promoted by v other active inorganic halides which are equivjected to sulfonation with other sulfonating agents such as $03, fuming sulfuric acid, or other equivalent materials. The neutralization step likewise may be carried out by the use of any water soluble alkali other than NaOH, such for example as KOH. The final diluted product should have a pH of from 6.7 to 7.5.

The chemical constitution of the improved cut- "ting agent of the present invention has not been determined, and therefore it is to be understood that'the invention is not to be limited by any theory or supposed type of reaction. However, the improved cutting compound is known to 'be of-exceptional quality and effectiveness. This is probably due, at least in part, to the simultaneous treatment of the high gravity oil with the clilorinating agent and the active inorganic halide. In any case it is definitely known that the presence of PCh prevents sludging of theoil in the step of effecting its chlorination. The

preferred product comprises carbon'compounds containing chemically combined phosphorus,

chlorine'and sulphonate groups. The invention contemplates products containing other electropositive atoms of active inorganic halides in place of phosphorus as indicated above.

. Since it is apparent that different embodiments of the invention may be made within the spirit'of the invention as described and illustrated-herein, itis tobe understood that the invention is not to be limited to the example or specific description except as so limited by the following claims.

Having thus described the invention in its preferred form, what is claimed as new is:

1. The method of making a compound for use in cutting metals,. which comprises treating a heavy petroleum oil with chlorine in the presence of an active adsorbent catalyst and a reactive inorganic halide at a temperature of from 300 to 350 F. to convert a substantial proportion of the oil into an intermediate reaction product, treating the said product with chlorosulfonic acid fora substantial period of time and thereby producing a tar-like viscous mass as an upperlayer, dissolving the tar-like mass in water and neutralizing the resulting solution with a water soluble alkali'using Congo red as an indicator.

2. The method defined by claim 1 in which the heavy petroleum oil is a crude oil of the type of 'Duvall crude petroleum.

3. The method as defined by claim 1 in which the neutralized solution is concentrated to cause separation of undesirable constituents and thereafter dissolving the desirable portion in water.

4. Themethodas defined by claim 1 in which the heavy petroleum oil is treated with chlorine in the presence of graphite and phosphorus trichloride.

5. The method of preparing a cutting agent adapted to facilitate the cutting of metals which w comprises, treating a heavy petroleum oil with a chlorinating agent in the presence of an adsorbent catalyst and a reactive inorganic halide at a temperature in the neighborhood of 350" F.. treating the resultin reaction product with a sulfonating agent under conditions adapted to prevent overheating to produce the desired reaction product as an upper layer, diluting the reaction product with water, and neutralizing the resulting diluted reaction product to Congo ,red with a water soluble alkali.

6. In the manufacture of water soluble cutting agents from heavy petroleum oils, the improvement which comprises reacting and converting the heavy petroleum oil with chlorine in the presence of a catalyst adapted to favor the chlorination of the oil and a reactive inorganic hal idle, subjecting the resulting reaction product to treatment with a sulfonating agent under conditions adapted to prevent overheating to produce the desired product as an upper layer which is separated out, diluting the resulting reaction mixture with water, and neutralizing it with a water soluble alkali to provide a product having a pH value of approximately 7 plus.

7. A transparent water soluble metal cutting compound having a pH value of approximately 7 and a specific gravity in excess of one, said compound being prepared by reacting a'heavy petroleum oil with chlorine in the presence of a.

chlorination catalyst and a reactive inorganic halide at a temperature of approximately 350 F., after which theresulting product is sulfonated and the sulfonation product separated from unreacted material and neutralized with a water soluble alkaline solution. v

8. A mixture of water soluble carbon compounds adapted for use as a metal cutting material obtained by reacting a heavy petroleum oil with chlorine, with an active inorganic halide I and with a sulfonating agent after which the re- 'sulting mixture of water-soluble compounds are separated out andneutralized, said mixture of water soluble carbon compounds being in aqueous solution and having a pH value of approximately 7 plus.

9. A water soluble cutting compound adapted for use in metal cutting operations at dilutions of 80 parts water to one part of compound, com prising a product having a specific gravity greater than that of water and a pH value in water solution of from 6.7 to 7.5, said product being produced by treating a high gravity naphthenic petroleum oil with a chlorinating agent,

'PC13 and a sulfonating agent, after which the compound is separated out, dissolved in water and neutralized.

10. A cutting oil compound as defined by claim 9 in which a concentrate containing approximately three parts of water to one part of the compound has a water hardness tolerance in excess of 200 partsper million.

11. A water soluble product adapted for use as a cutting agent when dissolved in a relatively large proportion'of water, comprising a reaction phosphorus, treating the said product with a sulfonating agent to sulfonate said product,

separating the resulting water-soluble sulfonated product and diluting it with water, and neutralizing the resulting water solution to Congo red with a water-soluble alkali.

JOHN D. MORGAN. RUSSELL E. LOWE. 

